Brandon Routh could not have chosen a more perfect Halloween costume last year.

Born to soar: Routh, 25, is an Iowa native. Says his agent: "All his life people have told him he was Clark Kent-Superman-like."

Warner Bros.

He showed up at a costume contest at Hollywood's hip Lucky Strike bowling alley wearing a black suit, a tie and a pair of geeky thick-rimmed glasses. His starched white shirt was unbuttoned just so, revealing a blue undershirt emblazoned with the Superman logo. His hair was perfect, right down to the curl on his forehead. He was so convincing, he won first place.

Flash-forward a year. That Clark Kent-Superman getup is no longer just a Halloween costume.

The relatively unknown actor, 25, was thrust into the spotlight Oct. 21 when Warner Bros. announced that Routh would star in its long-awaited Superman movie. (Related story: Superman finally ready to fly again)

"He's always had a desire to play Superman," says his agent, Mara Santino, who notes that the Halloween costume contest occurred months before the movie role was even a possibility.

Routh (pronounced Rowth) was chosen from thousands of candidates interviewed at casting calls in the USA, Britain, Canada and Australia.

"Casting has always been a challenge," says Jeff Robinov, president of production for Warner Bros. Pictures.

"As you look to more recognizable people, it's hard to separate who they are and what they've done from the role of Superman. So we decided to look at unknowns.

"It takes a while to find that odd mix of strength, vulnerability, warmth, likeability. At the same time, you want them to have the size and physicality of what you'd think of as Superman."

Like longtime Man of Steel Christopher Reeve, who died Oct. 10, Routh has square-jawed, chiseled good looks and loves sports.

Routh was unavailable for interviews, but his agent said the actor likes shooting hoops with friends and also swam and played soccer in high school. Routh is 6 feet 2½ inches tall; Reeve was 6-4.

"All his life people have told him he was very Clark Kent-Superman-like," Santino says.

Until now, Routh's most notable credit was a stint in 2001-02 as Seth Anderson on the ABC soap One Life to Live.

Other TV work has included bit parts on Gilmore Girls, Odd Man Out, Will & Grace and Cold Case. He recently finished shooting a small role in his first film, Deadly, opposite That '70s Show star Laura Prepon.

Brandon James Routh — his friends call him B.J. — was born Oct. 9, 1979, in Des Moines and raised in nearby Norwalk. That's not far from Woolstock, hometown of TV's original Superman, George Reeves. Routh attended the University of Iowa for a year.

Nearly every actor who has ever played the Man of Steel was unknown before donning cape and tights. Reeve had just one film role before he landed 1978's Superman and three sequels.